mCommerce: Mobile commerce – or M-commerce – is the fastest growing area of retail. Retailers are scrambling to catch up with the rapid growth of smartphones and how they’re changing the way we shop. About quarter of consumers have used their smartphone to access websites while out shopping. Tesco (Home Plus) reckon they’ve got a captive audience to try out their latest technology at Gatwick’s North Terminal. It’s also one of the busiest times of the year with tens of thousands of passengers with a lot of time to kill between flights.

“We don’t think it’s a gimmick – it’s a taste of the future,” says Mandy Minichiello, marketing manager for Tesco.com. “In 2016, about 90% of all mobiles will be smartphones. Tesco virtual shopping mobile app. A mobile app scans the QR CODE and orders the selected items. “We’re doing this as a trial to try to get some customer feedback. We’re keen to make customers lives as easy as possible. “Increasingly, they want to shop on the go.”

Tesco was a pioneer of internet retailing and has more than a million online customers. They’ve also done a similar experiment in South Korea, where commuters pointed their mobile phones at billboards in subways and bus stops. These have become a permanent fixture.

The UK trial goes further with an interactive feature. “It’s significant they’re doing this before other mainstream retailers have got in on the act,” says Neil Saunders, managing director with retail consultancy Conlumino. “It shows that Tesco are determined to make a success in the mobile retail environment and the potential for growth.”

Changing fast – Other retailers will be watching closely. According to mobile retail strategy consultancy Velti, the industry is changing fast. Tesco virtual shopping: Tesco insist the idea is not just a gimmick. “Retailers are struggling to keep up,” says Matt Cockett, vice president of sales at the company. “A mobile strategy is key for any retailer because the revenue has more than doubled in the past 12 months.

“Mobile investment is about how you develop a strategy and manage to take advantage of the oncoming rapid changes in technology. He added: “The Holy Grail is to connect the data touch points and to get a comprehensive view of each individual customer. “Retailers need to consider all touch points that drive mobile traffic to support online, mobile and in-store, and ultimately increase conversion rate.” Retail is increasingly all about making it as easy and convenient as possible for consumers to part with their cash.

Perhaps it won’t be too long before the Tesco experiment will come to a bus stop or train station near you.

Call a Bike is a bike hire system run by Deutsche Bahn in several German cities, which uses a system of authentication codes to automatically lock and unlock bikes. Here is the WEBSITE BUSINESS LOGIC:

Cycle ERP business logic

Cycle friendly city

To find the bikes one has to search at the cross roads in the central areas of the towns or use location-based services on SmartPhones to find them.

To hire Customer calls the telephone number given on the bike which includes the BIKE’S ID and gets by voice the 4 digit opening code, which he then types onto the bike’s touch screen to unlock it.

To return: Lock the bike to a fixed object, and select “return bike” from the bike’s touch-screen. A code will be generated which then has to be telephoned to the control centre, as proof that the bike was locked. As well one has to give the exact street names of the cross roads, which has to be within the permitted town area.

From 2013, in some cities, e.g. Cologne and Munich, this phone call to return a bike is no longer necessary, as the return location is now being transmitted to the control centre by GPS.

Lock temporarily. Similar to returning the bike, except that it doesn’t generate a “return code”.

DB provides local numbers for the phone calls from a cell phone which are required to both hire – rent – and return the bikes. Depending on your phone contract, the cost of your phone calls may exceed the price of the bike hire. However, if you are using a German SIM card which often has a flat rate for calling fixed line numbers, phone calls will be FREE of charge.

The system uses an electronic wheel lock and a cable lock, all controlled by embedded microcontroller with touchscreen LCD display. A set of 1024 pre-generated lock/unlock codes are unique to each bike and stored in memory.

To borrow from CallBike

Call a Bike – without stress and without traffic jam. Simply smart!

Call a bike you can amongst others in Berlin, Frankfurt / Main, Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart or Karlsruhe mobile on the go. Regardless of schedules, good for your figure and friendly to the environment.

DB Rent GmbH belongs together with the DB Fleet Service GmbH to the mobility service of Deutsche Bahn.

Domain Knowledge is the knowledge of a particular industry

Domain knowledge is the knowledge about the environment in which the business organizations operates, and it encompasses the understanding of the industry dynamics, history, sectors and segments, business model, competitive landscape, value chain, customers, supply chain, challenges and the industry specific strategies of the target enterprise.

Domain knowledge is necessary because it provides the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions and empower the users to deal with complex business situations. For implementing e-commerce project it is necessary to learn about the business that you are trying to automate on the internet. Gaining understanding of the industry means a smarter analysis, clearer logic underlying business decisions, closer attention to key dimensions of implementation and operation, and more disciplined performance management.

On the lighter side, here is a joke:

Get Domain expertise

There was a family with one kid. One day the mother was out and dad was in charge of the kid, who just turned three.

Someone had given the kid a little ‘tea set’ as a birthday gift and it was one of her favourite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news when kid brought Daddy a little cup of ‘tea’, which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for from father for such yummy tea, kid’s Mom came home.Dad made her wait in the living room to watch the kid bring him a cup of tea, because it was ‘just the cutest thing!!’Mom waited, and sure enough, the kid comes down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then she says to him, ‘Did it ever come to your mind that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet??’….Mothers know!Moral Of The Story: Domain knowledge is very important! Else your project may fail.

Communicating between end-users and software developers is often difficult. They must find a common language to communicate in. It is necessary to learn the jargon (vocabulary) to communicate effectively. The consultant may play an important role to bridge the gap between business executives and software engineers.

Examples of Domain Knowledge that may require for a project in the respective business category.

Automotive Domain.

Banking Domain.

Education Domain.

Engineering Domain.

FMCG Domain.

Retail Domain.

Telecom Domain.

Travel Domain.

In ERP / e-commerce project, domain knowledge is knowledge about the environment in which the target system operates. Domain knowledge is important, because it usually must be learned from software users in the domain (as domain specialists/experts), rather than from software developers. Expert’s domain knowledge is transformed in computer programs and active data, for example in a set of rules in knowledge bases, by knowledge engineers.

Use mobile based or tabs based Apps and business management software for efficient business management.

Achieve the leading edge in this highly competitive market.

Use ERP on Android / Windows / iPhone based Apps

You want productive employees and they want the freedom to use mobile applications to get their work done.

Business on the Go

Go Mobile Business advantage:

Already implemented business solutions to manage inventory, pre-sales, sales, sales and distribution, warehouse management, purchase, and many other areas of operation.

Specialist in Enterprise Software solution with a proven track-record. Option of cloud based database so no need for in-house Server.

Option of cloud based database so no need for in-house Server.

Specializing in understanding business requirements, identify bottle-necks and stream-line business process to push the report on the mobile directly to users– for efficient management. Option of linking payment gateway if required. Software will be optimized to operate on Smartphone or Tabs.

Here are some innovative ideas that bridge the gap between Brick & Mortar and Click & Mortar.

Automaker Renault used the innovative “Facebook Pillars”.

Simple, Innovative and Fun

AutoRAI Motorshow is an automotive event in the Amsterdam, Netherlands, and featured brands such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari, etc. How to get competitive advantage? Renault cars were accompanied by especially designed Facebook pillars. The 2,50,000 visitors to the show were invited to collect their free Renault RFID micro-chip embedded cards from the Renault stand, which they could then link to their Facebook profile. Once the card had been linked, simply swiping it in front a car’s pillar would count as a Facebook “Like”, posting a link to that car on the card bearer’s profile, as shown in the video above.

Here is an idea # 2

Innovative ways the offline world is making the most of the online world

C&A a Brazilian fashion retailer, has an IT enabled idea to bring customers’ Facebook approval into full view in its real-world stores. It has posted photos of a number of the clothing items it sells on a dedicated Facebook Page, where it invites customers to “Like” the ones that appeal to them. Special hangers on the racks in its bricks-&-mortar store display those votes in real-time, giving shoppers a clear indication of each item’s online popularity.

For more information regarding comprehensive overview of an entire market, click here to view Brand Analyses, Facebook Page Like, and Facebook Talking About figures………in the real-time!

Do you think innovations, such as above examples, will become more and more common? Can you afford to be left behind? We will appreciate your comments, shares and of course Likes.

Find out from which countries visited this blog website, report also gives numbers about various posts, and date on which viewed most, and so on. See the report to learn more. Don’t you think this is interesting?

Unfortunately, the budget signed by the American Governor Malloy contains a sales tax provision that compels Amazon to terminate referral program for Connecticut-based participants effective immediately. It specifically imposes the collection of TAXES from consumers on sales by online retailers – including but not limited to those referred by Connecticut-based affiliates – even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state. New tax law is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It was supported by big-box retailers, most of which are based outside Connecticut, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. When the Government interest interferes business, business will go elsewhere.

Amazon is the most successful online E-commerce company in the world. Amazon is the King of e-Commerce business. A $34 billion online empire made of click & mortar. It is just the beginning. Amazon is one of the most admired companies in the world.

When a business buys from another business it is called Business-to-Business (B2B) online shopping. Both B2C and B2B online shopping are forms of e-commerce. Amazon.com is B2C site where consumers are buying directly from the business (manufacturer).

Some fast facts about #1 retailer in the world:

An online shop, eshop, e-store, internet shop, webshop, webstore, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or in a shopping mall. The process is called Business-to-Consumer (B2C) online shopping.

Amazon Prime offers FREE shipping (for a ~ $79 yearly fee) is a hit with consumers that gives Amazon repeat sales across its many categories.

Amazon has ~ 33,700 employees. Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos as an online book store has now become the internet’s largest retailer. Please click on any of the link below to enter the official website of Amazon.

According to amazon management email: “As a result of the new law, contracts with all Connecticut residents participating in the Amazon Associates Program will be terminated today, June 10, 2011. Those Connecticut residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com, Endless.com, or SmallParts.com”.

Do you think this kind of development is good for online business in general and in particular for the Amazon associates? Your comments will be appreciated.

This is about profile picture on the social media sites. Here are some do and do not for smart internet marketing on the networking portals.

Would you like to meet a person who says: “Hey, network with me, trust me, but I will hide my face”?

Well I don’t think so. That is the point for networking sites: picture is required. Your profile is the most precious real estate out there on a social media site, like, facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, twitter, etc. Leverage these Web 2.0 platforms to market you business.

If you are casual about your profile on the social media, chances are others will also take you casually. You do not have to be a software engineer (I don’t know why people always give example of a rocket scientist?), to understand that the first thing we see when checking out a new LinkedIn contact, Facebook friend, or Twitter follower connection is a profile photo.

Your own picture is extremely important in the profile. We usually recognize a friend or old colleague or classmate more reliably by face rather than by name. I know that there may be some professionals who would prefer to not be exposed to profile photos from people they may NOT know. This setting can be done in most social media sites like LinkedIn or facebook. Such setting will allow others to see your picture only if you have accepted them as a friend. Having a good profile picture may be more important than you think!

On one hand we want our friends and contacts to trust us, on the other hand face are kept a secret; this is not a good idea, in the Global village.

Uploading a cartoon picture instead of a proper profile picture is not a good idea. Seriously.

Not able to find a picture to upload on the social media site is not a valid reason. You can even use a cell phone camera to take a picture and upload. It is that easy. Avoid other things in background, plain background is recommended. Do not put a group photo.

Do NOT put a logo in place of your profile picture.

It is recommended that you put your own picture only and not with someone else, even if you love or admire him or her. Profile picture with other person, on social networking web site is not the place for group photos. The facebook photos album, Picasa, or Flickr is just the right place for such group pictures and share with your contacts.

I encourage people to include photo in the profile, because it shows you’re comfortable with yourself.

Profile picture on social media websites is important from job point of view too. Yes, from HR point of view – as a candidate you would prefer transparency, and not look for associating with such a company which may filter bio by color, gender, race or age.

I strongly advice people who have still not uploaded picture on social networking sites, to do so without further delay. Think from mere security point of view. Have you attended a social get-to-gather or a party where guests wearing funny masks? Would you share your ‘happenings’ with such people? Sometime someone can easily get in the crowd and impersonate.

Tip: Picture also makes your profile a lot more pleasant and trust worthy. It is recommended that you take a head-shot, rather than the picture of you in front of a Pyramid or the Taj. Sites like facebook allow you to make your Albums to show these kinds of photographs. Do not put very old pictures. I would not like to exchange business card with a person who is covering his / her face, in a conference or a professional seminar, would you?

I am writing this topic of profile picture in this blog based on my own practical experience of networking with over 1000 professionals on the LinkedIn, over 700 friends on facebook, etc. If you have already put a proper picture in your profile, that is good, but you will be surprised when you check your connections. There are many who are still ignorant. Do you agree with me? Just share this important guidelines with them by clicking button provided at the bottom of this blog.

Type currency symbols of 132 countries directly from keyboard such as “€”, ₡, Kč, etc. in your word documents, or blog, web site, without using any special software. This is possible by using your numeric keypad as follows [it is that simple] no downloads necessary.

First activate your numeric key pad. If you are using a laptop the J K L keys etc. will change to numeric keypad, 1 2 3 and so on. This is used by data-entry operators when he or she has to enter lots of numeric data, therefore you might not be using it often. Caution: Do not forget to again make the same normal, otherwise instead of left arrow it will type 4, or on laptop when you type J it will type 1. Study the method and the currency symbols of 132 countries given in the following document:

Social Media Business EvangelistJyotindra Zaveri (a.k.a. Jyoti) is a senior Social Media Marketing Consultant and TrainerIT professional since ...1975 with academic credentials in electronics and electrical engineering from VJTI, Mumbai, India. Formerly worked in IBM, trained in Germany. BUSINESS INFO:1. Organizations outsource their Social Media Marketing […]

Crossword Puzzle focusing on Digital MarketingAnswer Social media crossword puzzle answerCluesAcross2. Leading Social media agency (5,6) (Tip Jyoti Social)5. What not to do frequently on Social Media? (4,7)6. Distribute brochures electronically (10)8. The number one digital platform (8)10. Digital marketing where money is (9) (Tip Mobile)11. Sr Social Media […]

Crossword Puzzle focusing on Digital Marketing. Please try to solve and give your answers in the Comment or by Messenger! Clues:Across2. Leading Social media agency (5,6) (Tip Jyoti Social)5. What not to do frequently on Social Media? (4,7)6. Distribute brochures electronically (10)8. The number one digital platform (8)10. Digital marketing where money is (9 […]